Research

"Symbolic gestures are very similar, if not virtually equivalent, to early vocal words they are used, just as early words are, to label objects as diverse as tractors and trees, rabbits and rain. They are used to describe situations in terms of how they look (BIG), how they feel (HOT), and even whether or not they still exist (ALL GONE). They are used to request specific items (BOTTLE) and specific actions (OUT, AGAIN). And they are frequently combined with other symbols - including words - to communicate more complex ideas. In addition to these similarities in function we have also learned that both symbolic gestures and symbolic words arrive on the scene at the end of the first year, on average, with gestures having a slight edge for many children and a greater edge for a few."

-Susan W Goodwyn & Linda P Acredolo. Encouraging symbolic gestures: a new perspective on the relationship between gesture and speech. In The Nature and Functions of Gesture in Children's Communication (1998).

"Research by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn demonstrated that 11-month-olds who learned baby sign outscored their peers in language abilities, and this effect endured until age 3. Children in this study also scored better than peers on standardized intelligence tests given at age 8."

-Kathleen Fackelmann. In USA TODAY (7/5/00).

"Researchers have found that the infant vocal tract is not simply a miniature version of an adult's. Rather, it resembles the vocal tract of nonhuman primates. This prevents babies from using the mouth as an instrument in the ways necessary for speech. Not until the end of the first year of life, when the oral cavity has lengthened and expanded, are babies able to produce language sounds."

-Roberta M. Golinkoff & Kathy Hirsch-Pasek. In How Babies Talk: The Magic and Mystery of Language in the First Three Years of Life (1999).

"The research literature on music enrichment for infants and toddlers has been prolific. We know that music participation teaches music skills, perception, and cognition. Simultaneously it also promotes child development areas such as listening skills, language development, motor coordination, cooperative social skills and reciprocity … demonstrating the power of music to be a highly beneficial reinforcer for children from the moment of their birth."

-Jayne Standley PhD. The power of contingent music for infant learning. In the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (Spring 2001).